MSP survey finds IT bosses don’t consider network security a priority

IT bosses are failing to recognise the importance of network security, according to IT management solutions company Kaseya. Most businesses are prioritising completing IT projects on time and reducing IT costs ahead of a secure network, according to Kaseya research.

The study included 900 small to medium businesses and highlighted an underlying issue in regards to IT Security. Only 21 per cent of respondents labelled security as the main issue among firms that were deemed ‘efficient’ in their IT operations. A surprising statistic considering 40 per cent of respondents across the survey admitted that ensuring compliance and security was their second most important technology challenge in 2017. The concern of working with outdated legacy systems hampering growth and innovation listed as the biggest issue among 44 per cent of respondents.

The survey also measured operational trends within the SMB market. Many firms were found to still be struggling to get the most out of their IT capabilities, with 83 per cent of businesses still focusing on day to day IT management tasks that are often time consuming.

The race to the cloud also emerged as a clear trend, with one-quarter of advanced IT companies turning to cloud hosting services for private cloud, with market leaders such as Microsoft being rated as the vendor of choice with Amazon close behind.

“One of the most important findings in our annual survey of SMB and midmarket enterprises and their IT practices is a significant year-over-year increase in the number of what we call ‘mature’ organizations. As companies of all sizes embrace modern tactics and leverage strategic new technology, such as the cloud, predictive analytics and advanced security, they become more ‘mature’ as an IT organization as a result,” said Taunia Kipp, global senior vice president of marketing for Kaseya.